Preparation and characterization of hydroxyapatite/poly(ethylene glutarate) biomaterials

Effect of ring-opening polymerization condition on the characteristic and mechanical properties of hydroxyapatite/poly(ethylene glutarate) biomaterials

Preparation of hydroxyapatite/poly(ethylene glutarate) (HAp/PEG) composites was carried out by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclic oligo(ethylene glutarate) in porous HAp scaffolds using various reaction temperatures and times. The content of ROP-PEG interpenetrated into the porous HAp scaffold was about 13-18 wt % with the values of number average molecular weight (overline_M{n}) and weight average molecular weight (overline_M{W}) of 2120-3630 and 2760-5250 g/mol, respectively. The increase in polymerization time and temperature brought about increase in molecular weight of ROP-PEG, but decrease in its content. Compressive strength and compressive modulus of the HAp/PEG composites were about 5.8-20.1 and 105-208 MPa, respectively. These mechanical properties depend upon the effects of distribution, content, and molecular weight of ROP-PEG in the composites. In vitro bioactivity of the HAp/PEG composites was studied by soaking them in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 28 days. The formation of HAp nanocrystal on the composite surfaces through the consumption of calcium and phosphorus from the SBF solution was observed after soaking, indicating the bioactivity of these HAp/PEG composites.

Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/hydroxyapatite biomaterials: preparation, characterization, and in vitro bioactivity

Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/hydroxyapatite (PET/HAp) composites were prepared by mixing HAp powder with a mixture solution of cyclic oligo(ethylene terephthalate) (C-OET) and dibutyl tinoxide catalyst in dichrolomethane, and then shaping the precomposites in cylindrical pellets. The C-OET in the precomposites was ring-opening polymerized (ROP) to PET under vacuum at 250 degrees C for 24 h. The PET/HAp composites were formulated with HAp to PET ratios of 60:40 (H6P4) and 50:50 (H5P5). The ROP-PET in the composites was present as a thin-layer coating on the HAp grains and evenly distributed throughout the samples. Compressive strength of the PET/HAp composites was significantly increased from 8 MPa of the H10P0 to 17 and 29 MPa for H6P4 and H5P5, respectively. In vitro bioactivity of the PET/HAp composites was studied by soaking in simulated body fluid (SBF) at 36.5 degrees C for 7-28 days. After prolonged soaking, the HAp nanocrystals precipitated from the SBF solution and formed as a layer of globular aggregates, coated on the composite surfaces. The H6P4 composite showed faster formation rate of nano-HAp than the H5P5 composite, indicating that the bioactivity of PET/HAp composites depended on the amount of HAp.